Ten-year agri-food strategy praised

Industry leaders have praised the cross-category strategy in Food Wise 2025, the agri-food sector’s 10-year plan to expand its exports by 85% to €19bn and create 23,000 jobs.

Launched in RDS Dublin by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney, the plan projects a 70% rise to €13bn in value added, achieved from a 65% rise in primary production to €10bn. While post-quota dairy growth has been long signposted, the breadth of the plan is indicated by its 35 signatories, a committee of groups as diverse as Kerry, Glanbia, Coillte, Tesco, Birdwatch and several farmers. The plan is to continue the huge growth of Irish agri-food exports, up 45% in 2009 to 2014, versus 4% for overall merchandise exports.

“The dairy sector will rise to the challenge in delivering a doubling in export value,” said Cormac Healy, director of the Irish Dairy Industries Association. Irish dairy needs an accelerated pipeline of value-added product and ingredient development, and investment in research, innovation and advanced processing technology,” he said.